Apple's App Store, Mac App Store arrive in 33 new regions

Apple has expanded availability of the App Store and Mac App Store to 33 more countries, bringing the grand total to 123.

Given Apple's exclusive Mac App Store launch of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, the company has committed itself to aggressively pushing the digital storefront into new regions in order for its international customers to be able to upgrade.

The Mac maker touted the 123 country number earlier this week while announcing that Lion downloads had topped one million in its first day of availability. That's up from the 90 countries that the Mac App Store opened in early this year.

The full list of new territories, according to Engadget is:
Algeria, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Dominica, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Iceland, Montserrat, Nigeria, Oman, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Suriname, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Uzbekistan, Yemen
Meanwhile, the international expansion of the App Store should serve to further its storied growth. It reached a new milestone of 15 billion apps downloaded in earlier this month. Given that the company reported passing the 14 billion app milestone in June at the Worldwide Developer Conference, the App Store appears to be handling roughly a billion app downloads per month.

Apple's iTunes Store and App Store reportedly cost as much as $1.3 billion a year to operate. The company has maintained for years that makes little profit from the storefronts. Developers have received $2.5 billion in payments as a result of the App Store.

The iOS platform is said to have grown increasingly "sticky," with the average Apple user purchasing $100 in content per iOS device. According to one analyst, the average selling price of software on the App Store will increase 14 percent this year.

Despite the low profit margins for Apple on the App Store, the app ecosystem model is paying off for the Cupertino, Calif., company, which stunned Wall Street earlier this week with record revenue of $28.57 billion. Recognized revenue from the iPhone and iPad comprised nearly 70 percent of the company's total revenue for the quarter.

Great company. Apple just has to figure out how to make Wall Street give it a proper valuation or somehow reduce the control that the hedge funds and institutions have over the company without having to compromise its long-term plans. Within a couple of years Apple could have about 500 million iOS devices in service so it needs to be very careful about meeting demand and having rigid control over all aspects of the platform. That growing war chest will allow Apple to everything it needs to do without the banks and Wall Street getting in the way. I'm still not entirely sure why Apple shares are lagging so far behind estimates, but maybe as Apple approaches ExxonMobil's market cap things will change for the better.

Great company. Apple just has to figure out how to make Wall Street give it a proper valuation or somehow reduce the control that the hedge funds and institutions have over the company without having to compromise its long-term plans. Within a couple of years Apple could have about 500 million iOS devices in service so it needs to be very careful about meeting demand and having rigid control over all aspects of the platform. That growing war chest will allow Apple to everything it needs to do without the banks and Wall Street getting in the way. I'm still not entirely sure why Apple shares are lagging so far behind estimates, but maybe as Apple approaches ExxonMobil's market cap things will change for the better.

There's a lot to this...

A lot of people, my father included, don't understand why Apple is holding on to all that money. So, you don't think there's other companies that make that much? Most pay back the share holders. Part of the problem is because they ARE holding onto that money that makes people nervous.
At least people i know. IMHO. I'm still young and learning.

Someone here said, "buy, wait till it hits $360 sell". "Rinse and repeat". The "war chest" helps and hurts at the same time. The stock is only worth more money if someone is willing to pay more for it than what you want to sell it for.... That's what my father keeps telling me. I would like to read your comments please!

A lot of people, my father included, don't understand why Apple is holding on to all that money. So, you don't think there's other companies that make that much? Most pay back the share holders. Part of the problem is because they ARE holding onto that money that makes people nervous.
At least people i know. IMHO. I'm still young and learning.

Someone here said, "buy, wait till it hits $360 sell". "Rinse and repeat". The "war chest" helps and hurts at the same time. The stock is only worth more money if someone is willing to pay more for it than what you want to sell it for.... That's what my father keeps telling me. I would like to read your comments please!

Apple may one day pay a dividend . I dunno .
But apple suppliers get pre multi billion dollar payments for hard to get supplies. Giving Apple a lower price and on time delivery for much needed components .

So for what ever real reason apple can sit and wait to strike hard as a loaded with cash debt free company.

Apple just bought $2.5 BN in nortel patents . Beating out all the big boys .

Buy the stock $500 a share is till cheap . and if Apple does this well in a world wide down economy think how good Apple will do when the market place recovers.

Great company. Apple just has to figure out how to make Wall Street give it a proper valuation or somehow reduce the control that the hedge funds and institutions have over the company without having to compromise its long-term plans. Within a couple of years Apple could have about 500 million iOS devices in service so it needs to be very careful about meeting demand and having rigid control over all aspects of the platform. That growing war chest will allow Apple to everything it needs to do without the banks and Wall Street getting in the way. I'm still not entirely sure why Apple shares are lagging so far behind estimates, but maybe as Apple approaches ExxonMobil's market cap things will change for the better.